Gardens of a Chinese emperor : imperial creations of the Qianlong Era, 1736-1796 / Victoria M. Cha-Tsu Siu ; with the posthumous assistance of Kathleen L. Lodwick.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-259) and index.

Experiencing the garden of perfect brightness (Yuanming Yuan) -- Qianlong's garden of everlasting spring (Changchun Yuan) -- The garden of the clear ripples (Qingyi Yuan) on longevity hill (Shou Shan) -- The garden of tranquil luminescence (Jingming Yuan) on Jade Spring Hill (Yuquan Shan) -- The garden of quiet delight (Jinyi Yuan) on fragrant hill (Xiang Shan).

"The Garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanming Yuan) in the western suburbs of the Qing capital, Beijing, was begun by the great Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) and expanded by his son, Yongzheng (r. 1722-1735) and brought to its greatest glory by his grandson, Qianlong (r. 1736-1796). A lover of literature and art, Qinglong sought an earthly reflection of his greatness in his Yuanming Yuan. For many years he designed and directed an elaborate program of garden arrangements. Representing two generations of painstaking research, this book follows the emperor as he ruled his empire from within his garden. In a landscape of lush plants, artificial mountains and lakes, and colorful buildings, he sought to represent his wealth and power to his diverse subjects and to the world at large. Having been looted and burned in the mid-nineteenth century by western forces, it now lies mostly in ruins, but it was the world's most elaborate garden in the eighteenth century. The garden suggested a whole set of concepts-religious, philosophical, political, artistic, and popular-represented in landscape and architecture. Just as bonsai portrays a garden in miniature, the imperial Yuanming Yuan at the height of its splendor represented the Qing Empire in microcosm."--back cover.

The Victoria M. Cha-Tsu Siu 徐家智, RSCJ (1935-2010) papers consist entirely of her research on Chinese gardens and the Yuanmingyuan. Her lifelong interest in the Yuanmingyuan began with her father, John Tchoan-pao Siu, who had combed sources for clippings and images to further scholarship on its long history. Particular interest was shown in the attempt to reproduce many of the physical items looted or destroyed during the destruction of 1860 by Anglo-French forces. The papers now housed at the Ricci Institute consist of handwritten or photocopied chapters, notes, excerpts and other data from years of research on this topic. Included are photographs, plates and a large number of slides, all with a focus on Chinese garden architecture. Drafts and working notes from her posthumously published book, Gardens of a Chinese emperor : imperial creations of the Qianlong Era, 1736-1796 published by Lehigh University Press in 2013 are included.

Addendum: In November 2016, the Siu family donated nine cartons of books belonging to their father, John Tchoan-pao Siu. These were filled with a variety of stitch-bound Chinese books which consistently include illustrated volumes not necessarily related to gardens or garden architecture. These cartons are still being opened, sorted and cataloged. For this reason John Siu's name has been added to the archive. All books in this collection will share the VS collection code.